If buying print for your company is a brand new responsibility for you, you're probably shell shocked. Who can blame you! You're thinking, "Where do I go? Who can I trust? How do I know how much printing costs?"

Relax. We were all there once. I've put together some tips to help you s-t-r-e-t-c-h your printing dollars. Knowing some rules-of-thumb will definitely save you money. It's a recession, so these tips are even more important.

Today, let's just focus on paper. Did you know that paper accounts for one third to even one half of the cost of your print job? Choose your paper wisely and know why size does matter. Check it out…

1. Stick to multiples of 8 ½ x 11. That's the standard size. Stray too much from a multiple of this size, and you could pay more.

2. Use a printer's house sheet. Printers stock several types of paper in their plant, and using what they have on hand often saves you dough.

3. Reduce the weight of your paper (heavier = pricier).

4. Reduce trim size - even 1/4 inch matters for some jobs. Ask your printer.

5. Consolidate jobs. By planning ahead, you can print multiple jobs on the same sheet of paper. This is called ganging.

6. Print only what you need. Reduce waste. (File this tip under "Duh.")

7. Go digital. Digital printing lets you print exactly what you need - even one copy! Most printers today have digital equipment or they work with another printer who does.

8. Reduce page counts.

9. Shift what you can to the Web. (Is this heresy? Sorry.)

10. Avoid bleeds. That's when the ink "bleeds" all the way to the edge of the sheet. The printer has to print the job and then trim off the edges to create that bleed. Can cost you more.

11. Change your sheet (go to a lower quality of paper).

12. From my friend Sabine Lenz of Paperspecs.com: ask for a printed sample of your sheet one grade below what you've spec'ed - then compare.

13. Sabine Lenz also suggests that you drop to a #1 sheet, which can save you 12%. Moving to a #2 sheet? This saves you 24%.

14. Know where the price breaks are. The more paper you buy, the better your pricing.

15. Don't be so picky. Ask your printer what paper he has available/running when your job will print. You'll avoid makeready, and save.

16. Know that broken cartons will cost you more. If you're ordering a special sheet and only need a small amount, the printer has to "break a carton" to run your job. You'll pay extra, since the printer has to purchase that special sheet (in a carton) just for you.

Always talk about paper with your printer when you're planning your job. Let him or her guide you. Please have an open mind and listen to your printer's ideas. Together, you can create magnificent work.